Finding Happiness in the Quiet Moments
by tlw13
Summary: The Battle at Mount Weather is over. The time has finally come to enjoy the peace that comes after war. The ground has a few surprises in store for the surviving 100, the Arkers, and even some members of the Woods Clan. After the darkness comes the light of a new day. Most main characters will appear eventually. So far: Linctavia, Clarke, Nyko, Bellamy, Monty, Miller, Jasper
1. The Mark Pt1: Linctavia

Octavia thought the needle piercing her skin would hurt more. She thought the time it would take to fill in the design would at least cause her to feel an uncomfortable ache. And yet, when Lincoln put down the needle an hour after thoroughly cleaning the skin at the center of her back, all she felt was a warmth spreading from the new marking to her whole body, to the very air of the cave they were in.

Once Lincoln finished cleaning and bandaging his work, he helped Octavia redress, bringing his softest shirt over her head and pulling open the sleeves and head opening so she could maneuver herself into it without irritating her back.

Octavia turned around and stared into Lincoln's eyes, alternating between one and the other, not wanting to miss any of his expression. He looked back at her with solemn eyes, checking her own face for pain, or worse, regret. All he saw was a deep content.

Looking at her at this moment, no one could know of the despair that had been etched into her features since her mentor had taken back her words of welcome, since she had been left alone with the knowledge that her brother and friends were likely still trapped by the enemy, if not already dead.

"Did it come out like your original design?"

Without a mirror in the cave, there was no way to see Lincoln's work outside of the drawing in his notebook. She looked at the worn page again, taking in the simple beauty of the bold black letter, the now permanent sign to all that she had found a home.

Not a crawlspace under a metal floor or a tent made of parachute scraps. Not even a cave with knickknacks and charcoal drawings, though their current shelter was an improvement over the other places she's lived in.

No, the home she found was not a physical location but a partnership, a relationship with a man who wasn't anywhere near perfect but who wanted more for himself and the people he loved. Who wanted peace not war. Who still occasionally craved the oblivion of the red but who fought against it and strove for control over his mind and body instead. Who understood her bond with a brother that had his own faults, who was making strides to create his own bond with the younger man as well.

Yes, first from the sky to the ground and then from the dropship to Camp Jaha to Tondc and back, she had finally found something, someone, to help her keep her equilibrium, to stand beside her when taking on the world. Someone who needed and wanted her to do the same for him in return.

Lincoln moved his right hand under his shirt Octavia wore, stopping just below his newly inked initial positioned directly behind her heart. He pressed against her back lightly, pushing her closer to his seated body.

Octavia got up onto her kneels so she could more easily move over the furs beneath them, moving forward until she could lean down against his chest and look down into his eyes with a smile in her own. Her new positioned distracted him, causing him to pause for a brief moment before finally answering her question.

"Yes, but my imagination didn't come close to accurately portraying how I'd feel when seeing it prominently displayed on your skin. I'm honored that you chose this to be your first mark."

"There are other designs that I'll want you to add soon. Marks to remind me of where I came from. Of my family, both in blood and by choice. But first I want us to go to Nyko. I wish I had the skills needed to ink my own mark on you, but I'd rather he do it this time than have us wait until I've learned."

Lincoln smiled into Octavia's kiss of promise and she mimicked the action in return before deepening the kiss in response. Any remaining tension melted from them as they enjoyed the feeling of having the other safely enclosed in their arms. After a few minutes, Lincoln leaned back and looked into her eyes once again. With a smirk he asked,

"Which of us is going to tell Bellamy?"

Octavia's laughter echoed in the air around them as she pushed Lincoln back onto the furs beneath them and settled as his side to enjoy the quiet peace of the night. All their worries of the world outside their warm cave momentarily faded as they continued their tradition of sharing stories of their pasts long into the night.

**A/N: Hello Everyone! This story will be a series of one-shots, connected by the same universe. Most will likely feature Linctavia, but some other couples and characters will appear as well. I thought we could use some fluff to help buffer us against all the angst and the wait for the show to return after tomorrow's episode. The chapter titles will let you know who the main couple/characters are for each one-shot. Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions.**


	2. Healing: Clarke

**A/N: That season finale definitely inspired me to write a new chapter. Spoilers ahead. **

Traveling alone through a grounder infested forest probably wasn't Clarke's best idea. She had realized this only a couple hours into her walk away from Camp Jaha, away from Bellamy and Monty, Octavia and Raven, Jasper, her mother, and everyone else who had survived the final battle with Mount Weather.

And yet, grounder traps, grounders themselves, and all manner of wild animals still seemed more manageable than the memories brought on by looking at her people, both the surviving 100 and the Arkers. They were safe from Mount Weather, but now they had to find their comfort while battling the nightmares and injuries caused by the past few days, weeks, months.

It was time now to heal, and Clarke knew she could only begin to do that by taking a step back, by combing through the good and bad memories and acknowledging the decisions she made, the actions she took, to bring her people home. She knew she wouldn't be able to survive her time away without some supplies, so she had traveled first to the dropship to pick up any useful supplies she could carry. There wasn't much left there, as it had already been scavenged by the Arkers, but she managed to find a canister wedged under some debris, along with a lighter and a bag of stale nuts just waiting to be refilled with more food.

Her isolation had already made her feel more at ease, as her mind was finally slowing down after so much battle planning and quick, horrifying decision making. Walking away from the dropship, she got her bearings and turned east, toward the ocean and friendly clan Lincoln had once mentioned.

Two days into her trip, she was enjoying the peacefulness of her surroundings, the beauty of the forest around her making her itch for a pencil and notepad. The quiet made her extremely aware of her footsteps sounding on the ground below her, of the twigs breaking and the fallen leaves rustling. One thing she couldn't understand though, was the complete lack of appearances by the members of the Woods Clan. Lexa had called for a retreat, but this seemed a little extreme. How far was the boundary that she had agreed to with Cage? And did she really not leave any scouts to check and see how the battle ended between the Sky People and the Mountain Men?

Clarke wanted to stop worrying about these things, about anything other than her own self-reflection and healing, but she couldn't let it go. She had to make sure her aloneness in the area was not a bad omen of things to come. Luckily, Tondc was not too far out of her way. She'd only have to make up a day's walk, and it wasn't like she had a deadline to keep.

Reaching the edge of the crater that was once a thriving village, Clarke looked down and took in the destruction caused in part by her inaction. She stayed there, standing still and breathing shallowly, for what felt like hours before she saw movement in her periphery. Turning abruptly, gun raised, her eyes focused on what had caused her attention to move away from the heartbreaking sight before her.

Nyko stared back and her, empty hands out to his sides and left eyebrow raised in question.

"What brings Clarke of the Sky People to Tondc?"

He didn't seem angry or overly curious. It almost seemed as if he had expected her arrival. Clarke thought for a moment of all the answers she could give him. _I was worried by the lack of people in the forest. I thought you might be planning an attack on my people, or that your people had been attacked by another clan. _She could answer more truthfully. _I wanted to return to the scene of one of my crimes. To start gaining closure about the lives I lost and saved._ Maybe she should give a vague answer, _I don't know_, considering he didn't really seem to care one way or another.

"I'm here to mourn. To heal."

He watched her for a moment and considered her answer, all that went said and unsaid in those two sentences. He nodded slowly, took a step forward, and held out his left hand to her.

"You can do this while I teach you to heal others. There is much for a Sky Healer to learn."

She had so many questions for him. Why was he the only one in Tondc? Where had the others gone? And yet, looking at his outstretched hand, she came to a decision. Those questions would still be there tomorrow or the day after. Right now, it was her turn to concentrate on herself. The knowledge she gained from the Woods Clan healer would definitely help her people eventually, but that wasn't of central importance right in that moment.

She put her hand in his and gave him a small smile.

It was a start.


	3. The Mark, Healing Pt2: Nyko (Linctavia)

**A/N: This chapter connects with both 1 and 2, so give those a read first if you want more backstory. Also, FYI, once my spring break finishes on Sunday, updates will slow down.**

He looked on as the golden-haired healer dove under the water for more of the blue-purple weeds that glowed brightly under the night sky. Fewer stars than usual were visible this night and with the moon only half full, it was the perfect time to harvest the conception preventative plant. His second was quite interested in the affects of the _birna_, as she felt her people were not ready for new life. Her lists of the health concerns she wanted to focus on was quite diverse, ranging from slight fevers to amputations. The _birna_ was where she wanted to start, though they had had to wait until they could be harvested and he was also required to teach her how to swim properly. As he told her when she had first attempted to see the weeds up close, _It should not take so much energy not to drown. Nor should you be making so much noise._

She was a fast learner, though he knew this already from hearing the stories Lincoln shared about her work as the 100's healer and watching her bring Lincoln back from death. This latter occurrence was the main reason why he took her on as an apprentice, though the ghosts in her eyes when he first came upon her in Tondc also reminded him of his own. One of her people had cost him his village, but the one called Finn was dead now, his ashes joining those of his victims. It was time to find peace, but he knew Polis was not where he would find it.

The Commander had been angry that her _Grakra_ refused to join the clan's withdrawal to Polis for the winter, but he had reminded her of his right as First Healer to purify the land that had been drenched with the blood of innocents, both in his village and in Tondc. Lexa could not argue against this reasoning, and so had allowed him to stay until they returned once the flowers started to bloom once more.

The timing of their yearly pilgrimage proved beneficial in more ways than one. The Woods Clan could take the time to renew their connections to the other clans at the capital. The Sky People could have three months to finish constructing their camp and attempt to survive the harshest weather of the year. And finally, he could have the space to heal the land and his own soul after the loss of so many of his people, including his young brother.

One loss that was not made permanent by death but by choice was that of Lincoln. Nyko had not been surprised when Lincoln was found to be missing the morning after their retreat from the Mountain. Lincoln had shared many stories of the Sky People since the day they first landed. It took less than a week before most of his stories centered on the dark-haired beauty who fearlessly explored the Earth, battling against a river serpent and walking amongst the thousand butterflies, a site sacred to the Air Clan.

It was when he had treated the wounds inflicted by the brother of Octavia that he knew Lincoln would soon be lost to him. Lincoln might be uncommonly peaceful for their clan, but he had never walked away from one who had perpetrated such an act against him. That fear, for one of his people and his sister, had caused Bellamy's actions did not excuse the torture he had inflicted on his friend.

And yet, Lincoln had made no move to hunt down his torturer. Instead, he became one with his sister and began working against his clan. Lincoln's compassion towards Sky People was well known and scorned amongst their people, making his decision to return to the Mountain and give up his life as _Trigedakru_ surprising to few.

Nyko watched as Clarke climbed back onto land, many strands of _birna_ grasped tightly in each of her hands. As she sat down to dry off and begin organizing her harvest, Nyko's mind turned to the message he had found in his dwelling the week before.

_Nyko, _

_I have given the First of the Union Mark to Octavia. We wish for me to receive mine as well, but she does not yet have the skill to make this so. We would be honored if the Grakra would consent to do this in her steed. If you are willing, join us on the next half-moon night. If you are unwilling, we understand but ask that you tell no one of our location. If this is the case, then, Goodbye my Brother. _

_May We Meet Again._

He had not been surprised that Lincoln had trespassed on their land, as his friend knew what the turn in weather signaled. He was also not surprised that the Union Mark had been begun, as Lincoln and he had once spoken of Octavia's lack of a home and wish for permanency. While Nyko had no issue with Octavia, she did not come alone. Lincoln was willing to accept his torturer into his family, but was he willing to do the same?

Looking at the reason for the destruction of his village as she worked to learn his ways, he knew what his answer would be.


	4. The Sibling Bond: Bellamy (Linctavia)

It had been three weeks since Clarke had left to battle with her guilt. Three weeks since the survivors of the Mountain battle had made their way back to Camp Jaha. Perhaps those weeks wouldn't have felt so long, been so draining, if Octavia had stayed. If his sister had still been around, he might have felt less alone, less burdened.

She might not have been the one who helped him kill all the men, women, and children in Mount Weather, but she was the main reason why he went through with that action. She was his responsibility, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

He realized after his co-leader left that was how Clarke felt for all of their people, their former delinquents. How they had come to feeling this responsible in such a short time was beyond him. How they could be responsible for so much death at such a young age, when only a couple months before they were just living a numb existence on the Ark, also seemed beyond understanding. And yet, here they were.

Though he didn't want to bother her, Bellamy thought Octavia would be the best one to talk to about how he felt, about what he thought might work best for all those now living in Camp Jaha. First though, he had found Octavia in the medical bay, dragged her back to the dropship, and asked her to tell him about what had occurred while he was the inside man in the Mountain.

Strangely enough, though it made sense after, Lincoln did not go with them. He stayed behind with Abby and Jackson, offering advice on what plants could be used to help with fighting fevers and infections. He had given Octavia a small nod when she had signaled to Bellamy from across the room. Bellamy had been amazed by how easily they seemed to communicate without words. Clarke and he could do that sometimes, but that was because their co-leadership had been forged in the flames of 300 grounder warriors. _What was his sister's relationship with Lincoln forged by? Was it strong enough to withstand the hardships they were still sure to face?_

Still, being alone with Octavia without putting up a fight had been a gift, and she had revealed over the course of a full night all the high and low points of the last few days. Challenging a grounder warrior and getting her ass kicked. Finding Lincoln after he relapsed and punching some sense into him. The truth about the missile on Tondc. Becoming Indra's second and then loosing that position when she stayed behind for him.

All this and more was described in minute details, as if everything had been ingrained into Octavia's brain and she couldn't get it to stop weighing on her mind. The despair on her face, the tears she refused to let out, the scratches she was creating on her arm like a nervous tick, these were the reasons he didn't fight as hard as he wanted to when she told him Lincoln and her were going to leave Camp Jaha and recover on their own for a bit.

He only gave up trying to persuade her otherwise when she revealed where they were going and promised to meet with him briefly every seven days. His little sister seemed to have grown up more in the past couple weeks than in the 17 years before, and didn't that say something about the half-life he and his mom had trapped her in for so long.

He felt like he was losing control of his life, and yet, there were 37 teenagers who were looking to him for direction, for help getting through the horrors of war. Maybe having one person invested solely in Octavia's wellbeing wasn't such a bad way to go. He had trusted Lincoln with saving her from an arrow and Lincoln had proven trustworthy. Then he had betrayed him in the tunnels due to the drug. Now he knew Lincoln had given Cage the red instead of using it on himself, choosing finding Octavia and helping the Sky People over his own addiction.

Maybe this separation would be good for the Blake siblings.

At least that's what he told himself as he watched them walk away, hand in hand.

He was getting tired of seeing people he cared about walk away from him.


	5. Plans: Monty&Miller (Jasper)

He once said that death was a better option than draining the grounders of blood for survival. He felt no hesitation, only righteous indignation. Stealing blood from people's very veins? Keeping them caged until they were useful? That was more barbaric than hanging a speared teenager from a tree. Than floating a parent for stealing food to feed her starving child. Than incinerating 300 warriors for defending their land. Than…

_Who was he kidding?_ No where he turned could he find someone innocent. Maybe if he could look at the children who survived the landing of the Ark, but he wasn't up to that yet. Too many memories of his beautiful lines of code turning into tables of dead men, women, and children. Children.

_I am become Death, destroyer of worlds. And friendships._

Monty looked up from the tablet he was trying to fix for Wick and Raven. Moving his eyes across the fenced-in area surrounding the remains of Mecha station, he stopped searching once he found his target. Jasper was sitting on the same log he'd sat on every day since returning from the Mountain. He wasn't always there, of course, but he was always there at this time of night. He'd stay for three hours, then head to their tent. His tent.

As usual, Jasper was staring into the fire Harper was in charge of keeping lit, fixing it with a blank expression. Yet…something seemed slightly out of place. He would know since he'd been watching from afar for the past four weeks. Taking in the whole picture, he finally noticed the difference. Jasper was holding his goggles, turning them over and over in his hands in a steady rhythm. Until tonight his hands had always been clasped together in front of him, wrapped around his knees as if to keep his body in one piece.

_Why the change?_

Monty started looking around again, seeing if anything else looked out of the ordinary. Monroe was playing tag with the younger kids that were still awake. Nothing strange there. Turns out, she used to babysit for tons of families before getting caught stealing medicine for one of her charges. Quickly moving his head around further, he spotted Harper talking to her parents while sitting in her usual spot on the ground right next to the entrance to the station. That was as far outside of the Ark she'd gotten since returning from the battle, but it was still progress from last week.

Monty had thought being outside in the fresh air would make her feel safer than being back indoors, but Harper had grown fond of the airlocks that could keep everyone out of her private space. Only her parents and Monty were allowed into her room. He was amazed that Bellamy had convinced Dr. Griffin and Kane to let them have one of the few fully functioning rooms, as they definitely weren't part of the elite back in space. It seemed the two Council members had gained some empathy between landing on Earth and being rescued by two teenage delinquents and one pissed off big brother.

Forcing his thoughts away from that _rescue_, he finally spotted what he was looking for. Miller stood almost outside of his line of sight, facing towards him but talking with Kyle. He was surprised to see them together since they would have likely never encountered one another on the Ark and he hadn't seen them together in the camp before tonight. _They weren't chained next to each other in the torture room either_. He shook his head as if that would help clear his mind.

When he looked back, he saw Kyle staring back at him, but Miller was nowhere to be seen. Kyle gave him a wave and a wink, the latter of which only mildly surprised him. He and Kyle had been friends for about six months before he was locked up, ever since the older Engineer had found him working on a neighbor's tablet, trying to find out why it was malfunctioning. Turns out, fixing electronic equipment is a great way to build a friendship. _And destroy one._

"Hey."

Monty started, looking to his right and watching Nathan approach him slowly. They hadn't talked much before or during the Mountain, but he had become oddly friendly after the walk back to camp. He assumed it was Bellamy's doing. Having one third of the killer trio walk away before even entering Camp Jaha had probably worried him. Having Octavia leave with Lincoln soon after probably hadn't helped.

"Monty? You sleepwalking?"

"Sorry, no, I'm awake. I was just thinking about how I could improve the battery life of this thing."

"No you weren't."

Monty glared at his new friend. He didn't appreciate how fast Nathan had learned to read him. Even Jasper had needed a couple months before he could tell when Monty was lying.

"Were you thinking about Jasper?"

_Damn it._

"I already told you what I was thinking about."

"Well, if you decide to think about Jasper later, I just wanted you to know that I've already put a plan into action."

Monty raised his left eyebrow in question.

"You really have to teach me how to do that sometime. I'd love to use that on my dad when he tells me to go to bed."

Monty stares. Miller lightly punches his bicep in return.

"Well aren't you cheery tonight."

Silence.

"I just wanted to give you a heads up that Wick, Raven, and I have a plan to deal with Jasper's zone outs. Today it's his goggles."

"What about them?"

"Getting him moving is the first step. We figured getting his hands moving would be a good place to start, since Raven and I had noticed how he likes to fidget around with something when he's nervous or bored."

"You were paying that close of attention to Jasper since we've landed?"

Nathan quickly glanced away before looking back.

"I'm a people watcher and Raven and he were making gunpowder and bombs together. Wick knew him a bit before through you. But that's not the point."

"Ok. What is?"

"The point is that Jasper always sits by the fire like a statue. If he's going to snap out of it, he has to start remembering that his frozen mind is attached to an actual body."

"So you gave him his last pair of goggles. The lucky ones his parents gave him after he first exploded his homemade chem lab."

"Well, we didn't know they were lucky, but we knew he was attached to them."

"Weren't you worried he would put them on his head instead of in his hands?"

Miller glared as if he'd been personally insulted.

"We assumed Jasper wouldn't be aware enough to remember where he usually put them. An we were right! We'll see if our plan tomorrow works as well as this first attempt. Admittedly, we were a bit - and only a bit - surprised by this early success."

Monty stared at Nathan Miller in silence. He didn't understand why Bellamy's second in command was doing this. _Did Bellamy put him up to this, too?_ He voiced his question aloud.

"Too?"

Now it was Monty's turn to glance away for a second. He wondered if their reasons for doing so were the same.

"Yeah, you know. Keep an eye on the guy who made it possible to irradiate 250 people. Oh, and while you're at it, fix his best friend whose girlfriend he killed, too."

Miller stared at him for a long moment, brow furrowed. Then, he took a step forward. Then another. He was only inches away from Monty now.

Nathan wrapped his arms around Monty and simply stayed in that position, not saying a word. Slowly, Monty slowly exhaled and relaxed his body, leaning his forehead against the broad shoulder in front of him.

He wondered if this was part of a plan, as well. Then, he stopped thinking for a while.

**A/N: I would have never thought to put these two together until I started reading the fics about them. Now I can't think to write them with anyone else. Also, I was trying to get a point across with my use of both 'Nathan' and 'Miller'. I hope it worked while reading. Please R&amp;R. Did the dialogue work?**


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